Method for selective reduction of metallic oxides

ABSTRACT

Ores which include in combination iron oxide, cobalt oxide and nickel oxide are treated in a continuous shaft reduction furnace to selectively reduce nickel and cobalt to metallized form while leaving the iron oxide in the oxide form. Reacted top gas is recycled and mixed with partially combusted gasified fossil fuel in a combustion chamber to achieve the required concentration of reductants in the reducing gas. The cooling zone operates with a similar concentration of reductants in the cooling gas. Apparatus is also disclosed for carrying out the process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In certain areas of the world, nickel-bearing ores such as nickel laterite ore contain the oxides of nickel, cobalt and iron, among other constituents. Nickel and cobalt are valuable metals when separated from the ore and reduced to metallic form. It is known in the metallurgical art that it is possible to separate metallics from oxides of these metals by a leaching process. Heretofore, metal oxides were reduced to metallic form in highly inefficient multiple hearth furnaces prior to leaching.

We have invented an efficient method and apparatus for the selective reduction of metallic oxides in a continuous shaft furnace process whereby nickel oxide may be reduced to metallic nickel while cobalt and iron remain in the oxide form, or nickel and cobalt may be reduced to metallic form while iron remains in the oxide form. Separation of the metallics from the oxides and other gangue is then carried out by the Sherritt-Gordon leaching process which removes the metallics and leaves the oxides and other gangue materials untouched.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A continuous shaft furnace for the direct reduction or ore is fueled by a mixture of partially-combusted gasified fossil fuel and recycled reacted top gas which are mixed in a combustion chamber to obtain the proper reducing gas composition. The shaft furnace contains a lower cooling zone through which cooling gas is passed, the cooling gas being augmented by gasified fossil fuel and recycled reacted top gas whereby the cooling gas contains a concentration of reductants similar to that of the reducing gas.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a method for heat treating ores containing cobalt, nickel and iron oxides to selectively reduce only the nickel or nickel and cobalt to metallized form while leaving the remaining metallic oxides in the oxide form.

It is also an object of this invention to provide apparatus for the selective reduction of nickel oxide, cobalt oxide and iron oxide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic flow sheet showing the invented process and apparatus suitable for its operation.

FIG. 2 is an equilibrium diagram showing the reduction reaction curve for nickel oxide, cobalt oxide and iron oxide at various H₂ to H₂ O gas ratios.

FIG. 3 is an equilibrium diagram showing the reduction reaction curves for nickel oxide, cobalt oxide and iron oxide at various CO to CO₂ gas ratios.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a shaft furnace 10 has a feed hopper 12 and a feed pipe 14 which extends into the furnace 10 beneath the top of the furnace to feed a packed-bed burden 16 into the furnace. The treated burden is removed from the bottom of the furnace through a produce discharge pipe 18. Flow of the burden through the furnace is controlled by a discharge control device 20. Intermediate the ends of the furnace is a bustle and tuyere system 22 by which reducing gas is injected into the burden 16 within the furnace. A reacted gas offtake 24 is provided near the top of the furnace.

A cooling zone is located in the bottom portion of the furnace between cooling gas distributor 30 and cooling gas collector 32. The collector 32 is connected to a cooling gas recycle system including a cooler scrubber 34, compressor 36 and cooling gas inlet 38. The reacted top gas offtake 24 is connected to a reacted top gas cooler scrubber 40 and compressor 42. Pipe 44 connects compressor 42 with a combustion chamber 46 in which recycle gas is mixed with combustion products. Pipe 47 delivers the reducing gas mixture to reducing gas intake 48. The combustion chamber 46 is an atmosphere generator which is fueled by coal gas from a gasifier 50 mixed with combustion air 52. A portion of the gas from gasifier 50 is injected into the cooling gas circuit through pipe 54. Pipe 56 connects compressor 42 with gasifier gas pipe 54 to inject recycle gas into the cooling zone.

In operation, agglomerates or natural lumps of a nickel laterite ore containing the oxides of nickel, cobalt and iron are introduced to the top of shaft furnace 10 through charge hopper 12 and seal leg 14. The nickel and cobalt are selectively reduced to their metallic states while the iron is reduced to a lower oxide form (Fe₃ O₄). This selective reduction takes place in the reduction zone of the shaft furnace through which the agglomerates descend by gravity and are contacted by the countercurrent flow of a hot reducing gas which contains sufficient reductants (CO+H₂) to reduce the nickel or nickel and cobalt oxides to the metallic state but not enough to reduce the iron oxide to the metallic state. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the ranges of reductant to oxidant ratios or concentrations to reduce nickel alone, or both nickel and cobalt over a range of furnace temperatures.

The reduced agglomerates leave the reduction zone, which is defined as the zone above the hot reducing gas inlets, and enter a short transition zone which extends from the hot gas inlets down to the cooling zone gas offtakes 32. The agglomerates enter the cooling zone where they are cooled to approximately 50° C. by direct contact with a cold recirculated gas that contains a concentration of reductants similar to the bustle gas. The cold reduced agglomerates are discharged from the furnace through pipe 18 and are then ready for the subsequent downstream processing to recover the nickel or nickel and cobalt.

Cold coal gas from source 50 that has been desulfurized is sent to a combustion chamber 46 wherein the coal gas is combusted with a stoichiometric deficiency of air to produce a flue gas that contains between 5 and 10% CO+H₂. Cooled and scrubbed top gas is added to the combustion chamber through line 44 to produce a reducing gas with the proper composition and proper temperature to selectively reduce the nickel and cobalt oxides. The reducing gas is introduced into the shaft furnace at a temperature of from about 800° C. to about 1000° C. via bustle and tuyere system 22 around the periphery of the furnace. The hot reducing gas which flows countercurrent to the descending burden heats the agglomerates and reduces the nickel and cobalt oxides to their metallic state and reduces the hematite present to magnetite. The reacted top gas leaving the furnace through outlet 24 contains a lower amount of CO+H₂ and more H₂ O+CO₂ from the reduction, drying, and calcining reactions. The temperature of the top gas has been reduced substantially but is higher than the dew point of the gas to prevent condensation before entering the scrubber. In the scrubber 40 the gas is cleaned of dust and cooled. A portion of the cleaned top gas is vented from the system through vent V to control nitrogen buildup. The balance of the top gas is compressed and split into two streams. One stream is fed into the combustion chamber 46 wherein it is mixed with hot flue gas to produce the desired reduction gas. The other stream is fed to the cooling zone gas recirculating loop. A small flow of cold coal gas is also fed to the cooling zone gas recirculating loop. The flows of top gas and coal gas are adjusted and controlled to produce a gas composition very similar to the reducing gas entering the reduction zone. The cooling gas, which assumes the analysis of the mixture of top gas and coal gas, enters the furnace through a cooling gas distributor 30. The cold gas flows through the descending burden where the gas is heated to approximately 370° C. before most of the gas is collected in the cooling gas offtakes 32. This major stream is cooled, scrubbed, and compressed before additional top gas and coal gas are added prior to re-entering the cooling zone. A minor portion of the warmed cooling gas flows upward through the transition zone and into the center of the reduction zone as indicated by arrows 60. It is in the transition zone that the warmed gas is heated to reduction temperature by the descending hot burden. Thus a significant amount of hot reducing gas (with proper temperature and composition) is obtained by this heat exchange and without the burning of additional coal gas. This in-situ heating of the cooling zone gas results in one of the most efficient processes ever invented for selective reduction of metallic oxides with an external source of reductant. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for the selective reduction of nickel oxide or the oxides of nickel and cobalt in the presence of iron oxide comprising charging iron oxide and at least one oxide selected from the group comprising nickel oxide and cobalt oxide in agglomerated or lump form to a continuous shaft furnace to form a gravitationally descending burden therein, passing a reducing gas through the burden in counterflow relation to it, removing reacted reducing gas from said shaft furnace, cooling and cleaning said reacted gas, dividing said cooled, cleaned reacted gas into a first stream and a second stream;burning a fossil fuel in a combustion chamber external to said furnace, mixing said first stream of cooled, cleaned reacted gas with the gases in said combustion chamber to form said reducing gas having a reductant to oxidant ratio adequate to reduce nickel oxide and/or cobalt oxide as desired but insufficient to reduce iron oxide to the metallic state; introducing said reducing gas into said shaft furnace; and introducing a cooling gas into a cooling zone in the lower portion of said shaft furnace, removing a substantial portion of said cooling gas from said shaft furnace above the location of cooling gas introduction and below the location of reducing gas introduction, cooling and scrubbing said removed portion of said cooling gas to form a cleaned cooled cooling gas, mixing said cleaned cooled cooling gas with said second stream of cooled cleaned reacted gas and introducing the resulting gas mixture into said cooling zone, thereby causing the unremoved portion of said cooling gas to flow upwardly beyond the elevation of cooling gas removal, to be heated by the burden and to thereafter act as a reducing gas.
 2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising injecting a portion of said fossil fuel in gaseous form into said cooling zone.
 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the ratio of reductants to oxidants in the gas injected into the cooling zone is the same as that of the reducing gas injected into the furnace.
 4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising removing a portion of the cleaned, cooled top gas from the system to prevent nitrogen buildup in the recirculated gas.
 5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said metallic oxides are components of nickel laterite ore. 